1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an information recording medium such as an optical disk on which various content objects are already recorded and an information reproducing apparatus that reproduces such content objects from the information recording medium. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method of correcting a reproducing program executed by the information reproducing apparatus using correction data recorded on the information recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
Prior-art optical disk players that play an optical disk such as a DVD on which various content objects are already recorded sometimes encounter, after shipped from factories, trouble caused by bugs in their playing program. A user facing such trouble when trying to play a DVD on his or her optical disk player contacts the maker of the optical disk player to have the player troubleshooted so that the maker will take effective measures to fix the trouble. It usually takes a considerable time before the optical disk player is fixed, to both the user's and maker's disadvantage, probably more to the maker's disadvantage in that the maker has to accommodate similar complaints from many users spending its time and money. In addition, trouble likely to be encountered by these optical disk players tends to become increasingly complicated due to differences in content data, incompatibility among various specifications and standards, and problems associated with authoring tools, etc., to such an extent that a drastic measure seems difficult.
Under such circumstances, JP-A-7-85638 proposes one solution to eliminate trouble such as mentioned above. In this solution, patch data for the playing program is produced, then an optical disk is distributed, on which the generated patch data is recorded in its predetermined area so that an optical disk player reads the recorded patch data to correct its playing program. This solution permits the optical disk player to automatically correct its playing program upon placing of the optical disk in the optical disk player.
However, in view of the fact that such trouble is often caused due to optical disk players being available in a diversity of models, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of correction data compatible with different models of optical disk players. Therefore, it is desirable that the plurality of types of correction data are recorded on an optical disk. To record the plurality of types of correction data on an optical disk, a sizable area needs to be reserved on the optical disk. However, the data size usable in a lead-in area is so limited that it is difficult to record the plurality of types of correction data to such an extent as to take care of trouble associated with a diversity of playing programs.